VIENTIANE, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government will continue to work with development partners to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of air pollution which is a threat to human health and the environment.

Information about air pollution, including the causes and effects, will be widely publicized through various media channels to encourage people to understand the harmful effects of pollution, according to a report from the Center of Information and Education for Health under the Lao Ministry of Health on Thursday.

The ministry will continue to encourage people to understand the harmful effects of everyday activities such as burning garbage and setting fire to large swathes of scrubland to enable crops to be planted.

Every year, large-scale burning by farmers fills the air with increasing particulate matter, which people have no choice but to breathe in on a daily basis, said the report.

Lao health authorities called on everyone to take air pollution more seriously, especially farmers, who must abandon traditional slash-and-burn agricultural practices.

The ministry also advised people in urban areas to stop burning garbage and dry leaves, saying that both households and businesses must reduce the amount of waste they create, recycle and reuse more materials, and make use of compostable waste, according to the report. Enditem

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